Draft Town Belt Management Plan - Wellington City Council

What remained of the original Town Belt (approximately 429.5 ha) was transferred to the City of
Wellington 94 . The 1873 Deed of conveyance set out the terms upon which the Council, as trustee of
the land, was to administer it. In particular, the Council was to hold the land "to be forever
hereafter used and appropriated as a public recreation ground for the inhabitants of the City of
Wellington ... but without any power ... to alienate or dispose of the same ...” The Deed also
allowed Town Belt land to be leased for terms of up to 42 years for “the best and most improved
rent ... that may reasonably be had ...” and allowed for all revenue raised from the land to be
applied in the same way as that specified in the 1871 Act.
As the city grew, further areas of Town Belt land were taken for roads, education, housing and
utility purposes (see section 4). The Town Belt was also gradually developed for recreation and
amenity purposes (see sections 2 and 3).
In 1908 the Wellington (City) Town Belt Reserves Act provided the Council with certain statutory
powers to lease parts of the Town Belt. These powers were in addition to the Council's existing
powers under the Town Belt Deed. In 1911 the Wellington City Empowering and Amendment Act
authorised the Council to charge for admission to sports grounds subject to certain restrictions.
The Town Belt’s management was generally ad hoc until, in 1975, the Council approved the
Management Policy: Wellington Town Belt. This was the first policy aimed at consistent
management of the Town Belt as a whole. The six-page document was based upon policies that had
been adopted over the years for managing the Town Belt.
A more comprehensive management plan was approved by Council in 1994. The two-volume
Wellington Town Belt Management Plan 1995 was prepared over several years, including the
publication of eight background reports in 1992 (see references).
In 1998, following on from policy in the management plan, the Council approved the Town Belt
Reinstatement Policy, which outlined Council’s approach to the recovery and reinstatement of land
that had been part of the original Town Belt. Since then about 26.5 ha 95 of original Town Belt land
that had been alienated has been returned to the Council (see section 4).
In 2009, the Port Nicholson Block (Taranaki Whānui ki Te Upoko 0 Te Ika) Claims Settlement Act
2009 came into force, signed by the Crown and the Port Nicholson Block Settlement Trust
(representing descendants of tupuna of Te Atiawa, Taranaki, Ngāti Ruanui and Ngāti Tama and
holding a kaitiaki role for Ngāti Mutunga). This settlement gave Port Nicholson Block Settlement
Trust (PNBST) first right of refusal on some of the remaining identified sections of former Town
Belt still held by the Crown (see Appendix 3 also).
In August 2010, a Memorandum of Understanding between PNBST and the Council was agreed, in
which mana whenua indicated their wish to be more involved in the Town Belt’s future
management.
2. Public recreation ground
The idea of setting aside open recreational space for the benefit of all citizens was a new concept in
1840. There was little precedent in Britain, where urban parklands had until then been mainly the
private domain of the wealthy. What uses, then, and what kind of public benefit would be
appropriate for Wellington’s Town Belt?
To begin with, it appears that many of the settlers saw the Town Belt as little more than a resource
for firewood, building timber, quarrying and grazing (see section 4). By the 1870s, however, with
Wellington a well-established town of 7000, the townspeople started to think about the leisure and
94 Under the Town Belt and Basin Reserve Act 1873 (which implemented the 1871 Act).
95 The 26.5ha includes the recent return, in 2012, of a further 4.5 ha of Telecom land.
Draft Town Belt Management Plan October 2012
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